


I Said No!

by fireworksinthenight



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Family, Fluff, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-05
Updated: 2018-10-05
Packaged: 2019-07-25 13:45:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16198724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fireworksinthenight/pseuds/fireworksinthenight
Summary: Leo's trying to resist his brothers' pleas. It's for Raphael's own good. Set after Season 4, so major spoilers if you didn't watch it.





	I Said No!

**Author's Note:**

> ...  
>  I regret nothing.  
> Disclaimer: I don't own the turtles.

I'm sitting cross-legged in front of the dojo tree, eyes closed and breathing deeply.

I want to meditate.

In order to reach that noble goal, I need to block the sounds coming from the living room, beginning with…

"Leo!"

My brother Mikey interrupts my already shifting concentration. He runs desperately to me and jumps in my lap, putting both his arms around my neck and placing his forehead against mine.

"Leo, please!"

"I said no, Mikey," I answer him gently.

"But he's unbearable! He just keeps grunting and growling and pacing, and I can't play my video games at all!"

"You'll have to tolerate it for a while longer, Mikey," I say firmly. "Hopefully no more than a few hours."

"But Leo! I'll never hold on for hours! I'm about to have a breakdown, bro! It's too much!"

"Mikey, don't exaggerate," I reply softly while stroking his cheek. "You'll be perfectly fine. And Raph will be, too."

Mikey looks at me with his baby blue eyes wide open. It's breaking my heart to refuse his request, but I have to stay strong. I'm supposed to be like a father to them, now.

"If you want, you can stay here and meditate with me," I suggest.

Mikey rolls his eyes with a moan and slowly stands up, convinced that, for once, I'm not going to give in to him.

He leaves the dojo with sad, heavy steps – he's such a great actor, I could really believe that my refusal is depressing him to no end if I didn't know him so well – and turns at regular intervals to watch me with puppy-dog eyes.

I close my own eyes.

_Resist. You must resist._

As soon as Mikey has left, I sigh and move my legs to kneel. Maybe a change of posture will help me focus better.

"Leo?"

It's Donnie. I can't say I'm surprised.

"Leo, may I talk to you?"

"Of course, Donnie," I answer him with a smile. "Always."

Donnie sits down with a sigh next to me.

"You know, I'm worried about Raph. His reflexes aren't the best right now. You have to do something to help him. What if we were attacked? He would be unable to fight properly."

I tilt my head and lift an eye ridge at him.

"Do you really think that we are going to be attacked _now_?"

Donnie looks at me for a while, blushing slightly, before biting his lip and trying another approach.

"Please do something. I can't focus on my work! Each time I raise my head to take a pen, a screwdriver or my laptop, I see Raph meandering, holding his head as if it weighs a ton. It's depressing. I feel completely helpless."

"Did you give him painkillers?"

"Yes, I did."

"Then you did everything you could. Thanks, Donnie."

My brother watches me desperately, and I put a soothing hand on his arm.

I wish I could grant his request, but doing so wouldn't help Raph in the long term.

My hotheaded brother has to learn that every act has consequences.

Donnie seems to understand that my mind is set, because he sighs and leaves me alone.

Maybe now I'll finally be able to meditate, and…

"Leeeo…"

Raph enters the dojo with hesitant steps. He stumbles heavily. I hold back a sigh.

"Why don't you wanna help me, Leo?" He slurs in a pitiful tone. "I'm not feeling too well…"

"Well, if you had behaved last night, you wouldn't be dealing with a massive hangover right now," I lecture him. "You brought it on yourself."

Raph collapses on his plastron.

"You know I don't like to behave. It's not fair to punish me for that."

"I'm not punishing you. You're punishing yourself," I reason with him.

Or at least I try to.

Raph crawls towards me until he's so close that I could reach him by extending my arms.

Which is pretty much the point.

Then he just stays here, looking at me with a pitiful expression that pulls on my heartstrings.

In the doorway, I can see Mikey and Donnie watching us with hope. They aren't even trying to hide the fact that they are listening to our private conversation.

_Father, please, help me,_ I plead.

No answer.

Aargh! How am I supposed to resist the three of them?

Especially Raph, in the state he's now…

I take a deep breath and focus deeply, finally reaching my inner balance. My three-fingered hands move in rhythm with the words of the healing mantra.

"Rin… Pyo… Toh… Sha… Kai… Jin… Retsu… Zai… Zen…"

Then I gently put my hands on my brother's shell, allowing the energy to flow freely inside his body, cleaning it from whatever substances his alcohol consumption induced.

A few seconds later, Raph carefully picks himself up and slowly stretches, then spins, then punches and kicks in mid-air.

"Oh yeah! Thanks, Leo!" He says, grinning. "I'm feeling much better! Now I'll go see Casey, and make him eat his words! As if as a turtle, I couldn't drink as much as humans do!"

As Raph runs out of the dojo, high fiving Mikey and winking at Donnie in his path, I stay on my knees, ashamed of myself.

I yielded. Now there is nothing stopping Raph from doing it again.

But he looked so miserable, and he was so trustful that I would help! They all were!

"I'm the worst Sensei ever," I moan, hiding my face in my hands.

From the corner of my eye, I swear I can see my father's ghost chuckle.


End file.
